Property Drop Issue 16

8 THROUGH THE KEY HOLE
Christmas Beacon
Sharon Chilcott finds bright and warming festive cheer high on a hill overlooking seven counties…
Sharon Chilcott
Christmas will see a large
gathering of friends and
family at Atlanta and Anthony
O’Connor’s unique hilltop home, where
Gothic-style architecture and a baronial
dining hall will provide a grand and
atmospheric backdrop to the seasonal
celebrations.
The couple moved to their historic
property eight years ago, after falling in
love with the stunning location, near
Welsh Newton. Atlanta, brought up in
nearby Abergavenny, really appreciates the silence and semi-isolation; a real contrast
to London, where she ran a small company advising on interiors and doing property
search for high net worth clients.
It was after she met her soon-to-be husband, Anthony, that the pair decided on
a lifestyle change. “Anthony works internationally, so where we were based wasn’t
really an issue. We chose fresh air and space,” she says. Since their move, Atlanta has
had three boys within five years and is now working from home as an interior design
consultant.
“The views and the privacy are our main reasons for living here” she says. “From
the driveway up to the property you have 360 degree views over seven counties.
Here, we are in Herefordshire; we look down over Monmouth in Monmouthshire;
we can see the Malverns in Worcestershire, the Shropshire Hills, down the Golden
Valley into Powys, the Heads of the Valleys in Blaenau Gwent and the Wye Valley into
Gloucestershire. It’s spectacular.”
For Atlanta and Anthony, the other attraction was that it was a house they could
future proof. “It’s only half built! There’s lots of room for expansion and we’ve got
ambitious plans for it,” says Atlanta. “I am hoping it’s our forever home. It’s a house
that can grow with the boys.”
Nevertheless, this is already a generously-proportioned property, rebuilt in 2002
on the site of an older dwelling, of which portions remain. The new façade has been
built in the style of a Victorian rectory, using local reclaimed stone and incorporating
old stone mullion windows.
With six bedrooms and five bathrooms, it’s perfect for large gatherings and
Christmas generally means a houseful. The least Atlanta has entertained is eight, with
the most being 24. “We invite lots of friends and family around and we have an open
house policy.”
When it’s just the five of them, the family spend most of their time in the large
kitchen/breakfast room which is open plan to a sitting area and play room, which they
call the “Day Room”. For entertaining, however, there’s a more formal sitting room,
across the large entrance hall. It’s called the “Blue Room” after the décor. This room, its
arched Gothic-style mullion windows framed by luxurious blue silk drapes, is a focus
for Christmas gatherings and Atlanta likes using natural materials, gathered locally,
to decorate it. “I go for a Christmas
Winter Festival theme. I love to bring
the outdoors in, with lots of greenery
and berries and I like to go out and
forage for it with the children.
“I am also an avid collector of
pretty baubles and I have different
sets and colours which I alternate
each year. Also, the children love
shiny tinsel and snowflakes and
reindeer so in the “Day Room” I go
down that route.”